Little Tykes RARE Blue Octopus Merry Go Round

This WAS VERY EXPENSIVE WHEN WE BOUGHT IT AND WE REALIZE THAT THEY ARE VERY, VERY, HARD TO FIND, VERY RARE, AND CAN LAST ALMOST A LIFETIME. WE ARE FINDING THEM SELLING around $200 ON THE RE-SALE MARKET. LITTLE TIKES OCTOPUS - UNDER THE SEA - MERRY GO ROUND: YOU CAN'T BUY THIS ONE ANYMORE THEY ARE NO LONGER SOLD DURABLE AND LASTING, VERY STRONG, GREAT SPINNING - JUST LIKE THE PLAYGROUND. HAS A VERY STRONG BASE AND ALLOWS 3 OR MORE TO SPIN IT ALSO DOESN'T TAKE UP AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SPACE LIKE MOST OF THEM. HERE'S a MOTHER 5 STAR RATINGS: About the Merry Go Round This toy is large for Little Tikes. It measures almost 9 feet in circumference and is almost 4 feet tall. It sits about 1 1/2 feet off the ground (toddler feet dangling over can easily touch the ground). It weighs at least 60 pounds (probably more but since I can move it easily, this is my best guesstimate). (Update: I just found the old instructions and it states this weighs 85 pounds. and is exactly 1 3/4 feet of the ground: the base the top combined to lift kiddies 1 3/4 feet up to provide maximum spinning.) The octopus merry go round is made of hard, durable plastic and is still a nice shade of teal after ten years in the sun. The octopus wears a white hat and there are three seats for children. Little Tikes recommends this toy for ages 3 to 5 years old and the weight limit is 150 pounds. Set up was easy and takes no more than fifteen minutes(and we have had to take this apart and move it many times in the past nine years so I've become a pro!). The rotating disk on the base has arrows imprinted into the hard plastic to show you where to put the top part. The base is smaller than the top part (well, that's commonly how these merry go rounds work, right?). The high sides on the seats make this great for toddlers! The little arms can hold onto the seat comfortably and spin without sliding off if holding on. This merry go round has been in almost continuous use for nine years. Although the manufacturer says ages 3 to 5 years of age, my son first used this easily when he was 16 months old. Simply climb aboard and hold onto the high seat sides and Mom can either spin the child by reaching the octopus' hat or by using an empty seat's high side. How fast does this go? Well, depending on the age of the child and the safety level of the mom, you can get this octopus spinning at a good clip...and if a toddler should slide off, they're only 1 1/2 feet off the ground so they're not going to get hurt. As your child gets bigger, the fact that this toy is so low to the ground encourages daredevil stunts such as "Look, Mom: no hands!". Although I've never encouraged them, my kids have done this as early as possible to give me palpitations and gray hair...not necessarily in that order. The one quirk I noticed is that the base needs to be leveled; if the ground is the least bit uneven, the octopus won't spin or will spin very slowly. Also, if you move this around the yard and fail to check the placement of the top piece on the base, it will wobble and spin wobbly...the base and the top piece need to be perfectly aligned to spin. On the positive side, this is completely made of plastic and there are no parts to it that come off. My oldest has not been able to remove Mr. Octopus' hat after years of trying. Neither can my children remove the top piece from the base; it takes considerable strength to separate the two pieces. Another positive is the plastic color has not faded considerably over the years. The plastic is easily cleaned with bleach water and hosed off when needed with no awful residual loss of color (minor sun fading). The Little Tikes brand plastic really does last! My 10 year old still goes round and round for hours (usually when there's "nothing to do") and h e's 84 pounds. I keep expecting him to tell me that he's finally broken his octopus, but after years of abuse and two more kids, this Little Tikes Octopus Merry Go Round has really outlasted my expectations. Overall, if you can find this anywhere, this toy really is fun for all ages but please, follow Little Tikes orders and don't use it for kids under 3 or over 5 unless you want to assume any risk...my kids are immune to the bumps, bruises and scrapes and I'm quite comfortable letting them play any way they want with this merry go round...within reason, of course. Since this Octopus can get spinning easily and reach speeds of up to three miles per hour (sic), my last suggestion is not to allow a child who's just eaten or who suffers from motion sickness to spin. Although this Little Tikes Octopus merry go round cleans easily, do you really want to have to? Recommended: Yes Amount (US$): 150